Buenos tardes mis amigos, espero que todos estan biens. Good afternoon my friends, I hope all of you are well.
I begin this first post from Cuenca in Spanish because of an observation that has quickly become very clear – the Cuenca experience will be different based on one’s ability to communicate in Spanish. This is not to say that it will be worse or better, just considerable different. Therefore, for each day of our journey here, I anticipate posting two commentaries:
- In the land of Spanish – will reflect the people we meet and the experiences we encounter primarily because of my ability to communicate in Spanish. For full disclosure, I am not a fluent speaker or even an advanced intermediate speaker. I am more of a “street” speaker. I learned Spanish on the streets of my neighborhood, growing up in Los Angeles, so I know enough to understand and to be understood, at least most of the time.
- In the land of English – will reflect the same as above but with the community of English speakers in Cuenca…of which there are many. Primarily from the United States and Canada, this community includes the people resident in our hotel/apartment complex, fellow tourists (like us), and others who we communicate with primarily based on our shared language (to be explained in detail in the English post)
Language
From reading many of the blogs and seeing videos, I was under the impression that because of the number of English speaking expats, retirees and tourists in Cuenca, there would be many in the local community that speak English. WRONG!!! If you visit locations that are heavily frequented by the expat/retiree population, then okay English will do. But, reality check….this is Ecuador, where Spanish is THE language. It is a country surrounded by other Spanish speaking countries and it is on a continent with only four non-Spanish speaking countries (all of which occur south and southeast of Venezuela). So while not essential for having a great time and getting to know the city, I think it is unfair to assume the average person will understand you when you do not speak their language and you do not make an effort to. I am just pointing out the obvious, so please do not shoot the messenger.
Climate
Arriving in Cuenca today made me happy to be living in the Midwest of the US and to suffer sub-zero temperature… because Cuenca is not a warm (climate) place. If you are looking for a warm, sunny, tropical setting to relax in, Cuenca is not it. In addition, if you reside south of the Mason-Dixon line and are used to southern Californian weather…..well on a day like today, Cuenca will be down-right cold. Just to make the point, I am currently wearing socks and sitting under a wool blanket and I came from Wisconsin.
The Black Gringa 